Shiawassee County adopts 2026 equalized valuation; one commissioner dissents

The Shiawassee County Board of Commissioners on April 15 adopted the county’s 2026 Total Equalized Value and approved increases to non‑statutory Equalization service fees for local units.

Commissioner Brad Howard moved and Commissioner Cindy Garber seconded adoption of the county equalized values and associated administrative actions; the motion carried 6-1, with Commissioner Matthew Shepard voting no. The Finance Committee recommended a Total County Equalized Value recorded in the minutes as $4,270,993,389; the record also includes a second figure shown as $4,270,927,358. The resolution directs execution of State forms L‑4024 and L‑4037.

The record lists class-level equalized values: agricultural $877,190,209; commercial $296,807,340 (also shown as $296,741,309 in the minutes); industrial $65,007,744; residential $2,690,981,835; total real property $3,929,987,128 (alternate $3,929,921,097); total personal property $341,006,261; and total equalized value corresponding to the totals above. The tentative taxable value for 2026 is listed as $2,806,714,815 (alternate figure $2,806,713,369 appears in the record).

What the action means: adopting equalized values is an administrative step required by state law to set valuation baselines used for apportioning property tax rates and preparing tax rolls. The board also authorized county officers to sign necessary state forms to submit the adopted values.

Note on record inconsistencies: the meeting minutes include two closely similar totals for several entries; those alternate figures appear in the same lines of the transcript. The minutes presented both numbers; the clerk’s certified resolution attached to the record will be the controlling document for official filings.